Penzance TMD

Last updated

Penzance Traction Maintenance Depot
Location
Location Penzance, United Kingdom
Coordinates 50°07′40″N5°30′39″W / 50.1279°N 5.5107°W / 50.1279; -5.5107
OS grid SW491312
Characteristics
Owner Great Western Railway
Depot codePZ (1973-present) [1]
Type Diesel, HST, DMU
History
Opened1914 (Rebuilt)
Pre-grouping Great Western Railway
Post-grouping British Railways
Former depot code

Penzance TMD, also known as Long Rock TMD, is a railway traction maintenance depot situated in the village of Long Rock east of Penzance, Cornwall, England, and is the most westerly and southerly rail depot in the country. The depot operator is Great Western Railway. The depot code is PZ.

Contents

Description

08410 and 57605 Totnes Castle in the sidings at Long Rock Long Rock Sidings - GWR 08410 and 57605.JPG
08410 and 57605 Totnes Castle in the sidings at Long Rock

The depot is beside the Cornish Main Line, where it runs as a single track on the southern side and terminates at Penzance railway station, half a mile west of the depot.

The depot is small, with six long sidings to store High Speed Trains and Voyagers, and four smaller sidings. If the longer sidings are all used up, trains are stored at Laira TMD, Plymouth, and then make their way to Penzance railway station in the morning. The depot also has a fuel lane, a single-tracked modern maintenance shed, and a small carriage washer. A few years ago, facilities at Penzance TMD were expanded to cater for the new fleet of Voyagers used by CrossCountry.

The main line and depot lie near the sea, with just Long Rock beach and the embankment that carries the South West Coast Path separating them, which means this depot and the main line sometimes have problems due to the sea.

The fuel storage tanks at the depot are located behind the maintenance shed and are replenished on a daily basis by road deliveries.

History

Steam shed

A four-road engine shed was built at Long Rock in 1914. As well as the engine shed there was a turntable built to fit all size locomotives which ran on the route. The depot had watering facilities and coal stored for the locomotives, as well as sidings around the depot. The turntable was removed in 1966 and two of the four shed roads were removed in 1968.

From 1958 Long Rock serviced diesel locomotives, which continued after steam traction had ended in 1962. The steam depot was closed in June 1976.

Diesel shed

The east end of 1977 shed (and Class 57 57604) Penzance TRSD - GWR 57604.JPG
The east end of 1977 shed (and Class 57 57604)

A new depot was constructed on the same site as the steam shed, designed for British Rail's fleet of new Intercity 125 fleet (now referred to as High Speed Trains or HSTs). The depot consisted of a 750 ft long maintenance shed, long enough to fit a full IC125 set, along with a fueling lane on the southern side of the shed. Six long sidings were built to the east of the maintenance shed for stabling IC125's when not in use, which also have overhead gantry lights. The mainline next to the depot was also singled at the same time. In total the new depot cost £1.5 million to build, and was ready for use in October 1977.

Capacity at the depot was increased in a project that started in 2017 to cater for additional rolling stock maintenance such as additional cars for the Night Riviera sleeper service. The work cost £20m. [2] On 13 April 2019, after the work was completed, an open day was held at the depot in aid of Penlee Lifeboat station and the RNLI. [3] [4]

Trains serviced

08645 St Piran Long Rock 2019 - GWR 08645.JPG
08645 St Piran

Allocated to the depot:

The following classes visit the depot but are based elsewhere:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton Abbot railway station</span> Railway station in Devon, England

Newton Abbot railway station serves the market town of Newton Abbot in Devon, England. It is 214 miles 5 chains (345 km) from London Paddington. The station today is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide train services along with CrossCountry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motive power depot</span> Rail yard for cleaning, repairing and maintaining locomotives

A motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds" or just "sheds". Facilities are provided for refuelling and the replenishing of water, lubricating oil and grease and, for steam engines, the disposal of ash. There are often workshops for day-to-day repairs and maintenance, but locomotive building and major overhauls are usually carried out at locomotive works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penzance railway station</span> Railway station in Cornwall, England

Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance in west Cornwall, England. It is the terminus of the Cornish Main Line from Plymouth and situated 326 miles 50 chains from the zero point at London Paddington measured via Box and Plymouth Millbay. It is the southernmost railway station in Great Britain. The first station opened in 1852 and through travel to and from London commenced from 1859 with the opening of the Royal Albert Bridge. The station was rebuilt by the Great Western Railway in 1876 and the current layout was the result of a further rebuilding in the 1930s. As of 2023, the station is owned by Network Rail and managed by Great Western Railway who also operate train services there, together with CrossCountry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Blazey engine shed</span>

St Blazey engine shed is located in Par, Cornwall, United Kingdom, although it is named after the adjacent village of St Blazey. It was built in 1874 as the headquarters of the Cornwall Minerals Railway but for many years was a depot of the Great Western Railway. The current depot operator is DB Cargo and the depot TOPS code is BZ.

<i>Night Riviera</i> Overnight sleeper train between London and Cornwall

The Night Riviera is a sleeper train operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). It is one of only two sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom. The Night Riviera runs six nights a week (Sunday–Friday) between London Paddington and Penzance with one train in each direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Oak Common TMD</span> Former railway traction maintenance depot in West London

Old Oak Common TMD was a traction maintenance depot located west of London Paddington, in Old Oak Common. The depot codes were OC for the diesel depot and OO for the carriage shed. In steam days the shed code was 81A.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bletchley TMD</span>

Bletchley TMD is a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Bletchley, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, to the north east of Bletchley railway station, on a siding off the Marston Vale line. The depot is operated by London Northwestern Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crewe Diesel TMD</span> Diesel-electric locomotive traction maintenance depot

Crewe Diesel Depot is a former diesel-electric locomotive traction maintenance depot, formerly Crewe Diesel Traction Maintenance Depot or Crewe Diesel TMD, situated to the south of and visible from Crewe railway station. Built in 1958 by British Railways it was used as a maintenance facility for the diesel locomotives that were at the time replacing steam traction across the national rail network. Following the privatisation of British Rail depot ownership transferred to EWS, now DB Schenker and continued as a base for diesel traction, latterly becoming a facility for storing surplus rolling stock. In 2014 ownership transferred to Locomotive Storage Limited who have been and are continuing to renovate the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willesden TMD</span> Railway traction maintenance depot in north London, England

Willesden TMD is a railway locomotive and electric multiple unit traction maintenance depot, situated in Harlesden, north London. The depot is situated next to the West Coast Main Line, to the south-east of Willesden Junction station and on the way into London Euston station. The depot code is WN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laira Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot</span> Train maintenance facility in South West England

Laira Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot is a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Plymouth, Devon, England. The depot is operated by Great Western Railway (GWR) and is where their fleet of High Speed Trains are overhauled along with those belonging to CrossCountry. These will be withdrawn in 2023 but it will then become the principal depot for GWR's Class 802 InterCity Express Trains. Other trains visit for daily servicing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyseley TMD</span> Railway depot in Birmingham, England

Tyseley TMD is a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Tyseley, Birmingham, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff Canton TMD</span> Railway maintenance depot in Cardiff, Wales

Cardiff Canton TMD is a diesel locomotive traction maintenance depot in Cardiff, Wales. Its depot code is CF. It is operated by Transport for Wales. The depot is used by Transport for Wales fleet and some Cross Country Class 170s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateshead TMD</span> Locomotive maintenance yard in the North of England

Gateshead TMD was a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Gateshead, England. The depot code was 52A during the steam era and GD later on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornaby TMD</span>

Thornaby TMD was a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Thornaby, England, latterly operated by DB Schenker. The depot was situated to the east of Thornaby, on the northern side of the line to Middlesbrough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hither Green TMD</span> Railway depot in the United Kingdom

Hither Green (London) Traction Maintenance Depot or Hither Green (London) TMD is a railway depot used for the maintenance and servicing of freight trains adjacent to the Hither Green marshalling yard. The depot is a hub for moving freight around southeast England. Hither Green TMD is owned and operated by DBS. The official depot code is HG. In steam days the shed code was 73C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exeter TMD</span>

Exeter Traction Maintenance Depot is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom and is next to the city's main St Davids station. The depot is operated by Great Western Railway and has an allocation of diesel multiple units.

<i>Cornish Riviera Express</i> British express passenger train

The Cornish Riviera Express is a British express passenger train that has run between London Paddington and Penzance in Cornwall since 1904. Introduced by the Great Western Railway, the name Cornish Riviera Express has been applied to the late morning express train from London to Penzance continuously through nationalisation under British Rail and privatisation under First Great Western, only ceasing briefly during the two World Wars. The name is also applied to the late morning express train running in the opposite direction from Penzance to London. Through performance and publicity the Cornish Riviera Express has become one of the most famous named trains in the United Kingdom and is particularly renowned for the publicity employed by the Great Western Railway in the 1930s which elevated it to iconic status. Today it is operated by the Great Western Railway train operating company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrewsbury TMD</span> Railway depot in England

Shrewsbury TMD is a railway traction maintenance depot (TMD) situated in Coleham, Shrewsbury, England. The TMD forms part of Coleham Depot, a permanent way depot operated by Network Rail. The code for the TMD is 'SB'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Philip's Marsh depot</span> Railway maintenance depot in Bristol, England

St Philip's Marsh depot is a railway depot located in the St Philip's Marsh district of Bristol, England. It was established as a steam locomotive shed in 1910 but this facility closed in the 1960s. A new diesel facility opened nearby at Marsh Junction in 1959). This has since been combined with a new shed which was opened in 1976 to maintain new InterCity 125 trainsets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stewarts Lane</span> Traction maintenance depot in Battersea, London

Stewarts Lane is a large railway-servicing facility in Battersea in London, England, founded by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) in 1862, to serve London Victoria railway station. It is sited in the midst of a maze of railway lines between 'Factory Junction' and 'Stewarts Lane Junction', adjacent to the site of the former Longhedge Railway Works and the Stewarts Lane Chord formerly used by Eurostar trains from the Kent freight lines to Waterloo International station. Prior to 1962 it was one of the largest motive power depots in the UK. Following the end of steam traction in the early 1960s it was converted into a traction maintenance depot which is currently operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.

References

  1. 1 2 "The all-time guide to UK Shed and Depot Codes" (PDF). TheRailwayCentre.com. 5 May 2006. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. Vergnault, Oli (27 April 2017). "GWR set to improve sleeper train service to London with new £20m Penzance depot". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  3. "GWR celebrates nearly 170 years of Cornwalls railway with Long Rock Depot Open Day". www.gwr.com. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  4. Long Rock TMD Open Day Saturday 13th April 2019. Swindon: Great Western Railway. 2019.